Saving Paradise

Category: Nature Seychelles | Date: Oct 28 2009 | By: savingparadise

This week we had the privilege of the brief company of two seabirds at our office - a wedge-tailed Shearwater, Fouke in Creole, and Wilson’s storm petrel. Both Birds had been found and rescued by members of the public.

The storm petrel before its release

The Wilson’s storm petrel was found by a fishing boat around Denis Island and was brought in to us on the afternoon of Friday 23 by Captain J P Grancourt. Upon identifying the tiny bird as Wilson’s storm petrel,  we sent out an email to the bird committee to ask for advice on its feeding and release. It had no apparent injury and seemed to be just stressed, so it was put in a box to rest. It was fed, although with some difficulty as its beak is very tiny. Petrels feed on tiny shrimps, small squids, very small fish and planktonic crustaceans. We heard back from Adrian Skerret of the Bird Committee who advised its immediate release because of the difficulties in feeding. He also said that very few records exist in Seychelles of Wilson’s storm petrel; it has only once been photographed in Seychelles. On Saturday morning the bird was released on Mahe.

The shearwater brought to our office. Inset: shearwater nesting on Cousin

The shearwater was found at Pointe Larue near the agro-processing plant. Wedge tailed shearwaters are found on rat free islands in the Seychelles such as Cousin, Cousine, and Aride where they burrow on the ground to nest. Adults leave their burrows before dawn to fly out to feeding grounds at sea  and return in the cover of darkness. They are rarely found on Mahe. The Shearwater was confused but otherwise healthy with no injuries. It is being fed and will be released in a coastal area later today.

Wedge tailed shearwaters are also known as the moaning bird because of the eerie calls they make. In the past the call was associated with ghosts. They are even said to have caused a warden on Cousin to leave the island in haste! Listen to it here and tell us what you think.

Tags: Cousin Island, Mahe, wedge tailed shearwater, wilson's storm petrel